After a year that saw Washington grind to a halt amid nonstop campaigning, lobbying firms see 2013 as an opportunity to rebuild business that’s atrophied. And a few shops that have managed to do well in the current climate are preparing for an even bigger payday.

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The backlog of big issues facing President Barack Obama and the divided Congress is a lobbyist’s dream: tax and financial legislation, defense, health care, transportation, energy and immigration, just to name a few.

“I think there’s actually a lot of excitement to get something done,” said David Thomas, a partner at Mehlman Vogel Castagnetti. “There is some optimism. In that respect, it’s quite refreshing. People are ready to get going.”

But some firms have been doing well the past few years, even with gridlock in the legislative branch.

This year, Capitol Counsel is on pace to exceed $11 million, an increase over 2010 and 2011.

John Rafaelli, founding partner at Capitol Counsel, says that’s thanks to tax reform and implementation of the Affordable Care Act and the Dodd-Frank law. “Those issues are at the forefront,” Rafaelli said. “As a result, we’ve been lucky and fortunate.”

Alston & Bird has watched its lobbying revenue steadily increase in recent years, hitting an annual high of $13.6 million last year — a mark it’s on pace to beat this year. Along with the Dodd-Frank financial reform law and health care reform, Alston & Bird has benefited from attention to agriculture and cybersecurity. Having a team of former lawmakers — including former Sens. Bob Dole (R-Kan.) and Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.), and ex-Rep. Earl Pomeroy (D-Minn.) — doesn’t exactly hurt either.

Mehlman Vogel Castagnetti has also been on the upswing in terms of lobbying revenue. The firm reported earning $9.2 million through the end of September. The firm earned $11.7 million per year in both 2010 and 2011 and $10.3 million in 2009.

Partner David Thomas attributed the upward trend to the firm’s diverse client base and said that in 2013, tax reform will be the hottest of all issues.

“I think it’s going to be all taxes, all the time,” he said. “We think this might be an issue like health care reform. It really does touch everybody. It doesn’t really matter what industry you are. That’s going to be the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 issue in 2013 and maybe even 2014.”

Fortune has hardly smiled on all lobbying firms, with several prominent outfits witnessing a slide in their traditional lobbying business — a reflection of the industry overall, which peaked in 2010 after a decade of runaway revenue increases.

Different firms are taking different approaches to reverse the trend or otherwise compensate for decreases in cash flow from traditional lobbying activity.

Van Scoyoc Associates, one the major players on K Street, has seen its lobbying revenue dip in recent years, mostly due to a struggling economy and gridlock on Capitol Hill. The firm has reported $16.1 million in lobbying revenue so far this year — significantly less than the $25 million at the end of 2011 and the nearly $29 million in 2010.

But looking ahead to 2013, Stu Van Scoyoc, the firm’s chief executive, said he is expecting revenue to pick up, buoyed by tax reform and appropriations-related lobbying.

“Congress is going to start getting more active and aggressive,” Van Scoyoc said.

Van Scoyoc said they aren’t hurting as badly, given the conditions the lobbying industry has been under. The firm has three nonlobbying divisions, and although they are seeing increasing revenues, they are not making up for the dip in lobbying revenue.